Category Archive: Garden
Tomatoes are in
We spent the morning in the garden and hoop house and there are now 22 tomato plants down one side with a few on the other side.
And 24 celery plants are now in!
The potatoes are popping up in the outside garden and strawberries are blossoming, although the weeds still need to be removed.
Around and around we go
In more ways than one we circle.
I spend those little waiting minutes spinning – still working on the dog hair.
I have made some progress, but still more spool to fill.
The other spinning area was spinning car wheels. We started out with a scheduled doctor visit, then to the sewing center, then to AT&T to find out if they could get my Fitbit to work again. No, but they had an idea we could try at home. Meanwhile, they had them on sale for $20. off until Mother’s day and we had 14 days to return, if the other idea worked. Ok, we went for that idea. Then off to Costco for a few groceries. As we walked in their door, they had a better deal on the Fitbit and longer to return it if we could make the first one work, so we bought one there. After Costco, we returned the one to AT&T, gassed up the car and went home, just afraid one of the sheep had lambed and might need help. No, but we are still watching that “pot”.
So we had lunch* and headed back out to the grocery store and to get a few more tomato plants that someone recommended. They also had alyssum, so must have some of that to put in front of house that is half weeded. Home again, I collapsed on the bed for a bit of a nap. Today was one of those days that I woke up at 3.30, so told myself I deserved a rest. 
Afterwards. I went back out and finished the tomato bed in the hoop house. Tomorrow morning, the plan is to plant the tomatoes.
Please tell me this sounds like some of your days? If so, know you are not alone. We can certainly empathize. Oh, and after we came home the last time, the dentist called and said they had a cancellation for teeth cleaning tomorrow afternoon. Could I take that slot. And that is why the tomatoes have to go into the ground in the morning.
* Quickie bean soup. Because I guess on a lot of ingredients, these aren’t exact. Also I cook my beans and then can them, which make them very soft, but you could achieve the same thing by cooking until really done. I opened a pint of red beans (could be another type), into the blender with a pint of hot water, some Brewer’s yeast, chicken-like seasoning, garlic and onion powder and salt. Using a high-speed blender, I blended them for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile I opened another jar and heated the contents one minute in the microwave. I put 2 tablespoons of beans in each bowl of soup. It was so very good and it was fast. I had salad ingredients prepped and so lunch was on the table in 5 minutes.
tomato plant shopping
Another quilt is cut and bagged. I started to cut another quilt, but then found that part of the fabric was not washed and since it is a red and white quilt, that is important.
Meanwhile we had a young man here helping us get control of the overgrowth between the planting boxes. Next time he comes, he will help put plastic down. Those areas are steep!
Then since the box in the greenhouse is mostly finished (I have to get the dirt all raked flat), we went over to the greenhouses and purchased several tomato and other plant starts. Most of the tomatoes, I had never heard of. Joy grows 100 different varieties of tomato starts.
Several finishes including a quilt
Several things are now finished. It seems for so long, one isn’t accomplishing anything, and then all at once several things cross the finish line. Though still beautiful these are the last of the tulips and are nearly ended.
Another finish is that the fellow who occasionally is able to help me, had about 4 hours today, so he was able to finish up the garden box in the hoop house. Now this week, I will get the dirt smoothed out and get the fertilizers on ready for the tomato plants.
He also put up a different fencing on the driveway side here. We put a low fence up originally because we didn’t want it to look bad. That didn’t work as the dogs walked right over it. So now a field fence and maybe if I can keep the chickens away long enough, some sweet peas and other plants to grow up on it. I like the chickens and they do a lot of bug work, but they are really hard on plant starts.
The lawn mowers are working out well. So far, the mowing tractor has not come out of the garage this season. That gives me a two for one. No mowing and no hay buying as long as the grasses are good.
This quilt is finished at 48″ square. I gave the blue one like this to a little boy today who is just 18 months old. I wanted a photo, but he insisted on burying himself in it. See if you can find him.
He appears to be enjoying it.
I’m looking at the weather forecast and thinking that there may not be much sewing in this week – more gardening.
Spinning and gardening
As I sat down and thought about writing this blog, I wondered how I could make white fiber and an incredible number of hours seem like fun. I decided that only one who enjoys the process of taking the fiber from raw to finished could understand. And it would probably be the same if I had a piece of wood with which I was planning to make a fancy planter, or paints to create a photo. I cannot create the fancy planter or paint the picture, so am happy to purchase from someone who can.
As I brush the dogs, I save what is fairly clean to spin. The above is a pile of Pyrenees dog wool, which has soft undercoat mixed with the hair. I will spin wool and alpaca to ply with it. It will give me hours and hours of enjoyment while I think of those before us who had to make clothes this way. After I spin and ply it, I will select a pattern (probably a hat) to knit. Then in years to come, I will have a memory of these special dogs.
This a good look at hours and hours and hours and more hours of spinning. When spinning, a little fiber gives hours of enjoyment. I can’t think of another hobby that ones can get so much fun for the cost.
When the weather warmed up enough to go out and work, I did get another row and a half cleared of weeds and potatoes planted. As you can see in the darker areas, there are some volunteers from last year. I think we will try putting black plastic on the hillsides between the rows as there is just too much hill and too steep to keep it under control.
Bee boxes and gardening
All 4 of these bee boxes are now painted. Tomorrow, I will check and see if we need to add another to either or both of the hives.
As I was weeding in preparation for planting, I found a few potatoes. I’m not sure if we missed them or if they were tiny last fall when we harvested and were left behind and have now grown.
OH, yes, and I found this little fellow, who I promptly put in a safer place. Our place is full of toads, which eat bugs. We also have the chickens, so with all these bug predators, what’s with all the bugs.
Do you know what kind of bug this is. We have a number of them both out here in the garden and in the hoop house.
By the time, I finished weeding that 20′ row, I had a large kettle of potatoes.
For lunch, we had one of our favorite dishes – scalloped potatoes, to which we added a salad with artichoke hearts, celery, carrots, capers, lettuce, and cauliflower.
Globetrotting quilt on frame and an Izzy bag
This is now all set up to quilt. It is not started because I was blessed with a young woman who is interested in apprenticing with animal care and yard work. We spent quite awhile together looking around at what we do here etc. It is pure pleasure to find someone else who enjoys and wants to learn about the things that you are interested in. I may just adopt her (lol)
And though I cannot show you the photos as they aren’t copy and paste, some of you may really enjoy these sites about Izzy MEIMassb. She is a fantastic designer and teacher. She goes into such detail that you can make the same beautiful items she shows. I absolutely must make the bag soon.
Her about: http://www.izzymeimsaab.com/about/4583430510
Instructions on how to put a zipper into any bag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dnvM41V-3E
garden continues
Continuing from yesterday: the fertilizer was raked in, then watered and a double row of potatoes was planted on each side of the path. That is a total of 40 feet with double rows.. The garlic was planted to the back. I have more potatoes and garlic to plant but will have to weed the next level below to have room. That will give me something to do next week. I think I’ll rake the hay out of the aisle and just burn those weeds when I burn the ones on the big slopes between the boxes. There are still beets, cukes, corn and other items going out here plus what is going into the hoop house late.
Ava is so smart. There are two feed pans in the sheep enclosure. She watches me and when I put some in one pan, she runs to the other so she is there to get it first. The others come over when the first pan is empty.
There have been several car trips this week, but not a lot of knitting. Today, we picked up the rototiller from its annual maintenance. So I have knit this far on another dish cloth. The name of the pattern is Ostrich Plume dish cloth, It is a 4 row sequence with only row 3 really creating the pattern. I’m using a Peaches and Crème yarn.
Sunshine and gardens
The brown dirt has been weeded and is now ready for the fertilizer application, then the water and THEN the potatoes and garlic. Or so goes tomorrow’s plan. At this point there are no other appointments.
